The Great North - South Food Divide
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15 September, 2008 Research published today indicates that the traditional stereotypes of thrifty Northerners and ‘soft’ Southerners may be partially true, at least where food preferences are concerned.
The study, which was specially commissioned for Good Food Channel’s Market Kitchen, revealed that Britain is a nation divided by our taste buds.
If you like fish for breakfast, drink lager or spirits in the pub and have curry sauce with your chips, you are statistically more likely to be from the North of the country. Thrifty Northerners also prefer to cook with offal and leftovers, making their famous stews and hotpots.
Southerners prefer wine to lager and, with the exception of Scotland, have a sweeter tooth on the whole. They also spend more when dining out, with an average spend of £22.50 per person compared to £12.50 up North.
Fish and chips, one of the nation’s best loved dishes, also demonstrated the culinary divide, with 82% of Northerners preferring haddock whilst 72% of Southerners opt for cod.
What you put on your chips is also telling: almost half of Southerners (45%) favour tomato sauce, whereas Northerners choose curry sauce (47%) or gravy (29%). And only one in ten down South opt for the traditional fish supper accompaniment of mushy peas, compared to seven in ten Northerners.
And what about those who live in the heart of the country? People from the Midlands lived up to their ‘middling’ reputation, with their preferences sitting roundly between the North and the South.
Do your food preferences match where you live? Why do you think these differences exist? Join the discussion on our message boards.
Want to know more? Have a look at the full survey results.
If you like fish for breakfast, drink lager or spirits in the pub and have curry sauce with your chips, you are statistically more likely to be from the North of the country. Thrifty Northerners also prefer to cook with offal and leftovers, making their famous stews and hotpots.
Southerners prefer wine to lager and, with the exception of Scotland, have a sweeter tooth on the whole. They also spend more when dining out, with an average spend of £22.50 per person compared to £12.50 up North.
Fish and chips, one of the nation’s best loved dishes, also demonstrated the culinary divide, with 82% of Northerners preferring haddock whilst 72% of Southerners opt for cod.
What you put on your chips is also telling: almost half of Southerners (45%) favour tomato sauce, whereas Northerners choose curry sauce (47%) or gravy (29%). And only one in ten down South opt for the traditional fish supper accompaniment of mushy peas, compared to seven in ten Northerners.
And what about those who live in the heart of the country? People from the Midlands lived up to their ‘middling’ reputation, with their preferences sitting roundly between the North and the South.
Do your food preferences match where you live? Why do you think these differences exist? Join the discussion on our message boards.
Want to know more? Have a look at the full survey results.
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